Firearm



pri 26, 1932. c. c. Loomis FTREARM Filed Jan. 27, 1931 ,f TTORNEYS.

.5 particularly Patented Apr. 26, 1932 usura@ srarss Lasagna @maar@arios l CRAWFORD C. LOOMIS, 02E ILION, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO REMINGTONARMS COMPANY.,

' INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FIBEARM Application led January 27,1931; Serial No. 511,488.

o of shots which can be fired from repeating and auto-loading gunswithout the necessity for hand reloading. A single hunter equipped witha large capacity magazine autoloading gun can work great destructlon,with such game as flying birds; and the present depletion of the stockof game birds and other animals 1s frequently attributed to theover-eectiveness of mod' ern repeating and auto-loading guns. For thesake of preserving the game, and perpetuating the sport of hunting, itis becoming 1ncreasingly common among Sportsmen to carry not more thantwo loaded shells or cartridges in the magazine.

The ordinary type of repeating or autoloading shot gun is provided witha tubular magazine supported beneath the barrel and adapted to contain acolumn of shells or cartridges up to six in number which are dellveredone at a time into the receiver for transfer to the liring chamber. Themagazine tube likewise furnishes a support for the fore-end piece, bythe reciprocation of which the removal of empty shells and the transferof fresh ones from the magazine is eected. For purposes of symmetry andbalance magazine tubes are made of such a length as to contain four tosix loaded shells and a suitable spring and spring follower for urgingthese shells toward the rear of the magazine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a firearm of theusual symmetrical and properly balanced design but with a magazine thecapacity of which is definitely limited to a comparatively small numberof shells. The magazine tube is of full length, thereby reserving theusual appearance of the gun, ut its capacity is definitely limited toany desired number of shells, in the present instance, two.

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of so much of a firearm asisnecessary to illustrate the application of the present inventionthereto.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the magazine with no shells therein.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the magazine showing the secondshell as thrust forward to the limit of its possible movement.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4:-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The firearm comprises a magazine tube 10 supported at its forward end ona lug l1 depending from the barrel 12. Both magazine tube and barrel aresuitably mounted at their rear ends in a receiver 13. The magazine tubeserves as a support and guide for a fore-end 14 connected through anaction bar 15 with the receiver mechanism by which the functionsincident to re-loading the gun from the magazine are effected.

The improved magazine tube of the pres ent invention is illustrated ascomprising a peripheral depression 16 which serves as a stop to limitboth the forward movement of cartridges in the magazine and the rearwardmovement of the spring follower. The follower, through which themagazine spring 17 exerts a rearward pressure upon the cartridges in themagazine, comprises a cartridge engaging head 18 connected through rod19 with a spring engaging flange member 20. Referring to Fig. 3, it willbe seen that the constriction of the tube formed by the ring 16 is ofsuiiicient diameter to allow a part of a cartridge to pass therethroughbut to engage and stop another part, such a projecting rim at thecartridge head. The same ring or circumferential rib 16 serves theadditional purpose of stopping the rearward movement of the flangemember 20 of the spring follower. In Fig. 2 said flange is shown inengagement with said ring.

-The distance from the flange member 20 to the cartridge engaging head18 must be such as to insure that the last cartridge in the magazinewill be pushed entirely out of the magazine. However, the anfve member20 should not project materially from the magazine at any time; hence,the proper spacing of flange 20 and head 18 becomes of substantialimportance. To provide a ready adjustment thereof, the end of rod 19is'threaded and is received in a threaded aperture in the flange 20 andhub 21 secured thereto. The hub 21 is slotted, as shown at 22, and thethreaded portion of rod 19 is drilled transversely to receive a holdingdevice, such as the cotter pin 23, which extends through the hole in rod19 and the slots in hub 2l, thereby securing the rod 19 with its head 18in any desired position of longitudinal adjustment relative to saidflange. A comparison of Fig. 2 with Fic'. 3 shows that the length of thespring fol oWer assembly is somewhat greater than the length of thelongest cartridge 24 that can be lused in the particular gun Jto whichthe tube is attached, its length conforming to that of the section ofthe magazine tube to the rear of the ring 416. The lengthof cartridgesvaries slightly but notlenough to permit more than two of the shortestcartridges to enter the magazine. It is obvious that by properlydetermining the location of the ring 16 and the length of the springfollower the magazine may be made of any desired capacity.

The forward portion of the magazine tube comprises a plurality oflongitudinally extending grooves or indentations 25 forming longitudinalribs on the interior of the tube which may terminate at the ring 16.Like the ring 16, these indentations define a tube of such a diameter aswill receive a part of the body of a cartridge but not another part,such as a projecting rim. Thus, in Fig. 3, the body of the foremostcartridge lies in the grooved part of the tube, the head of thecartridge resting against the terminal ring'16. The grooves 25 likewiseserve as stiifeners, increasing the resistance of the tube todistortion.The liange 20, being of substantially the full diameter of the tube anddesigned to move therein, is provided with cut-outs or slots 26 adaptedto receive the said ribs 25. It will be noted that, by reason of therelatively greater length of the spring follower, the spring 17 may bemade substantially shorter than a spring designed to accommodate a fullmagazine of cartridges and that the travel of the free end of thisspring never materially exceeds the length of two cartridges. y Whilethe magazine tube is of full length and vcan be used interchangeablywith an ordinary full capacity magazine, the exterior grooves 16 and 25serve to indicate plainly and in all ositions of the fore-end that it isa restricte capacity tube.

Further said grooves being formed by inward displacement of the tubemetal, it is impracticable to remove them without destroying the tube.

The invention is not to be considered as limited to the particularembodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawin and hasbeen herein described in detail, but is to be construed as extending toall equivalent constructions falling within a broad interpretation ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tubular magazine for'lirearms con1- prising a plurality oflongitudinal ribs adapted to reduce the diameter of the tube todimensions which will receive the body but not the rim of a cartridge ofgiven size.

2. A tubular magazine for a firearm comprising a section adapted toreceive cartridges for use in said firearm and a section of reduceddiameter adapted to receive a part only of such cartridges- Atubularmagazine for firearms comprising a plurality of longitudinalindentations forming interior diameter reducing ribs, whereby saidmagazine comprises two sections of dilerent effective diameters.

4. A tubular magazine for firearms comprising a plurality oflongitudinally extending diameter reducing ribs, said ribs terminatingin a circumferential diameter reducing ring, whereby said tube isdivided into two sections of differing diameters.

5. A tubular cartridge magazine for a lirearm comprising a spring, aspring follower a circumferential ring in the wall of said tube adaptedto serve as a stop for an enlarged portion of a cartridge or for saidfollower. y

6. A tubular cartridge magazine for a irearm comprising a spring, aspring follower and a movement limiting stop adapted to engage and stopeither said follower, or a cartridge in said magazine.

7. .A tubular cartridge magazine for a lirearm comprising a plurality oflongitudinal ribs, terminating in a circumferential ring, a springfollower having recesses to receive ring.

8. In a tubular cartridge magazine for firearms, a stop located adistance from the end of the tube greater than the length of a cartridgeand adapted to prevent the passage of a cartridge, a spring follower insaid tube having a part adapted to engage said stop and another partadapted to substantially reach the end of the tube when the first partis in engagement with said stop.

Asaid ribs, and adapted to be stopped by'said l 9. In a tubularcartridge magazine for firearms, a spring follower having a springengaging part and a cartridge engaging part spaced from said springengaging part and adj ustably secured thereto.

10. A tubular cartridge magazine, for firearms comprising acircumferential rib, a two- 5 part spring and cartridge follower andspacing member comprising a cartridge engaging head adapted to pass saidrib, a spacing piece projecting from said head, and a spring engagingflange secured to said spacing piece;

11. In a tubular cartridge magazine for firearms, a spring, a springfollower, a com bined magazine capacity limiting and spring followermovement controlling stop comprising a projection extending inwardlyfrom the *.15 peripheral wall of said magazine tube.

' CRAWFORD C. LOOMIS.

